EP0634251B1 - Easy fastener jam removal tool - Google Patents

Easy fastener jam removal tool Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0634251B1
EP0634251B1 EP94110839A EP94110839A EP0634251B1 EP 0634251 B1 EP0634251 B1 EP 0634251B1 EP 94110839 A EP94110839 A EP 94110839A EP 94110839 A EP94110839 A EP 94110839A EP 0634251 B1 EP0634251 B1 EP 0634251B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
front plate
drive track
workpiece
fasteners
plate
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP94110839A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0634251A1 (en
Inventor
Umberto Monacelli
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Stanley Works
Original Assignee
Stanley Works
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Stanley Works filed Critical Stanley Works
Publication of EP0634251A1 publication Critical patent/EP0634251A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0634251B1 publication Critical patent/EP0634251B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25C—HAND-HELD NAILING OR STAPLING TOOLS; MANUALLY OPERATED PORTABLE STAPLING TOOLS
    • B25C5/00—Manually operated portable stapling tools; Hand-held power-operated stapling tools; Staple feeding devices therefor
    • B25C5/16—Staple-feeding devices, e.g. with feeding means, supports for staples or accessories concerning feeding devices
    • B25C5/1665—Staple-feeding devices, e.g. with feeding means, supports for staples or accessories concerning feeding devices with means for preventing jamming or aiding unjamming within the drive channel

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a fastener driving tool according to the preamble of claims 1 and 10 resp., and, in particular, to the improvement of its nose assembly to enable the operator to quickly and easily remove a jammed fastener from a drive track of the tool.
  • Tools for rapidly driving fasteners such as pins, brads, staples and the like are commonly used in the commercial work place. All of these tools have standard components comprising a housing, a driving element, a nose assembly defining a drive track in which the driving element can travel rectilinearly, a power driving mechanism mounted within the housing to impart a forward or driving and a return stroke to the driving element, and a magazine in which the fasteners are stored and fed sequentially one at a time into the drive track.
  • the leg or shank of the fastener has a column strength defined by the material from which it is made. Should the resistance to penetrate the workpiece become greater than the strength of the fastener, then the leg may buckle and jam in the drive track. Debris, woodchips or the like may also cause a fastener to become jammed in its drive track and must be removed before the tool will again operate correctly.
  • US-A-3 957 192 discloses a fastener driving tool from which jammed fasteners can be removed, according to the preamble of claim 1.
  • the known fastener driving tool has a magazine from which the fasteners are fed to a discharge chute.
  • the wall of the discharge chute opposite to the outlet of the magazine is movable between two positions in one of which it allows fasteners to be removed from the discharge chute.
  • the known fastener driving tool does not provide any means for securing said wall in order to allow easy and safe access for removal of jammed fasteners.
  • GB-A-2 205 776 describes a fastener driving tool according to the preamble of claim 10:
  • a pusher of the known fastener driving tool advances the fasteners forward to a nosepiece assembly.
  • the nosepiece assembly secured to the forward end of the tool, defines a fastener drive track for guiding fasteners driven into a workpiece.
  • the nosepiece assembly includes a front nosepiece and a rear nosepiece pivotably connected together to allow freeing of jammed fasteners.
  • the known fastener driving tool does not provide any means for securing said nosepieces in order to allow easy and safe access for removal of jammed fasteners.
  • US-A-3,273,777 disclosed another nose assembly, in which a front portion of the nose assembly pivots outwardly to expose the drive track.
  • a mechanism to securely hold the front plate in an operative position and yet easy to open, when a jam occurs The front plate is held in an operative position by components creating a frictional latch.
  • the front plate is automatically released to an inoperative position should the force against the front plate exceed the frictional latch.
  • This design works well when a tool is new, but it is understood that after extended usage, the frictional forces of the latch components decrease, creating an undesirable tendency at times to open during normal fastener driving operation even though a jam did not occur.
  • the worn or defective latch components must be replaced to again have the tool in proper working order. Any repairs needed on tools is both time consuming and costly.
  • fastener driving tools include a similar pivotal front plate and a latching mechanism, which use a manually releasable lever or cam to more securely hold its front plate.
  • the disadvantage here is the cost of producing the necessary components.
  • the fastener driving tool comprises a nose assembly including a fixed back plate and a front plate, which is suspended to rotate from a closed, operative position to an open position.
  • the back plate and the front plate when disposed in its closed, operative position, define a drive track through which fasteners can be driven into a workpiece.
  • the back plate is attached to a housing adapted to contain a powered fastener driving mechanism.
  • a magazine assembly for storing and feeding fasteners into the drive track is attached to the back plate.
  • the pivotal connection between the front and back plates is to one side of the drive track, whereby when the front plate is rotated to its open position, the drive track becomes accessible to provide ready access to any jammed fasteners.
  • the surface of the front plate that abuts the back plate is substantially flat to permit the front door to be pivoted to its open position even when the fasteners or the driver is in the drive track. Since any forces created by the fastener or driver during a malfunction is directed perpendicular to the movement of the front plate, the front plate will not unintentionally open during operation.
  • the nose assembly 10 is part of a fastener driving tool of which only a portion of its housing structure 11 is shown.
  • the particular type of tool and fastener utilized are not critical to the invention.
  • the tool comprises a fastener drive mechanism (not shown), which is mounted on the housing 11 and is powered illustratively by electric, pneumatic or other sources to drive fasteners such as staples, pins and brads.
  • the fastener drive mechanism includes a driver 12 and is actuated by a trigger (not shown) to impart a rectilinear movement to the driver 12.
  • a drive mechanism and a housing are further shown and described in US-A-5,181,450, which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • the nose assembly 10 of this invention could be readily adapted to operate with the following present fastener tools, all manufactured by ATRO S.p.A.: a Minor Tipin/138, an I/15-28.5 Strong and a Monza Brad 64CS.
  • the drive mechanism imparts a drive stroke and a return stroke to the driver 12.
  • the tool could be actuated by only a trigger mechanism (not shown) or in addition to the trigger, a workpiece contacting element 13 as shown in FIG. 3 working in conjunction with the actuating means.
  • the nose assembly 10 further includes a fixedly disposed back plate 14 and a front plate 15.
  • the back plate 14 is fixedly attached to the housing structure 11 with screws 16.
  • the front nose plate 15 is pivotally mounted to the back plate 14 by means or a shoulder screw 17, whereby the front plate 15 may be pivoted from its closed positioned shown in FIG. 1 to its open position.
  • FIG. 1 When the front plate 15 is in its closed, operative position as shown in FIG. 1, there is defined a drive track 18 between the front plate 15 and the back plate 14 through which one of the fasteners 23 is driven at a time into a workpiece (not shown).
  • a magazine assembly 19 is provided to store and feed fasteners 23 into the drive track 18.
  • the magazine assembly 19 is attached to the back plate 14 by means of screws 20 and 21.
  • the opposite end of the magazine assembly 19 may also have an attachment to the housing structure 11 for stability.
  • FIG. 2 shows in more detail a typical magazine assembly 19, which includes an elongated rail 22 in which fasteners 23 are stored.
  • the rail 22 is also used to house a fastener advance mechanism 24.
  • the fastener advance mechanism 24 comprises a pusher block 25 and a spring 26 guided by a shaft 27 urging the fasteners 23 to the left as shown in FIG. 2.
  • the fasteners 23 are urged forward by the fastener advance mechanism 24 until a leading fastener 23a abuts the front plate 15 and is positioned within the drive track 18 under the driver 12.
  • a window 28 in the back plate 14 allows the fasteners 23 to pass there through and enter the drive track 18.
  • the driver 12 Upon actuation of the power stroke, the driver 12 is driven by the drive mechanism in its drive stroke downwardly as shown in FIG. 2, forcing the leading fastener 23a out of the drive track 18 and into the workpiece. Thereafter, the drive mechanism imports a return stroke to the driver 12, whereby it moves upwardly to its rest position. After the end of the driver 12 clears the next fastener 23, the advancing means 24 pushes the present leading fastener 23a into the drive track 18, whereby it is ready to be driven.
  • a small guide plate 29 is held in position by screws 16 and is used to align the driver 12 with the drive track 18.
  • plate 29 is shown in FIG. 1 as a separate element, it could as well be a part of the back plate 14 or a portion of the housing structure 11.
  • FIGS. 3 and 4 an alternative embodiment of this invention is shown, similar to that of FIGS. 1 and 2, which includes a workpiece contacting element 13 serving as an actuating mechanism to initiate the drive stroke.
  • a workpiece contacting element 13 serving as an actuating mechanism to initiate the drive stroke.
  • Certain applications of the fastener driving tool require the initiation of the drive stroke to be done only when the nose assembly 10 is in contact with the workpiece.
  • the workpiece contacting element 13 commonly known as a safety, works in conjunction with the trigger mechanism to actuate the tool.
  • To drive a fastener requires both the trigger to be pulled and the element 13 depressed.
  • the location and size of the element 13 varies considerably depending on specific needs. Most common, especially on smaller tools, the end portion 35 is mounted directly in front of the nose assembly 10 of the tool.
  • the element 13 is normally spring loaded to extend below the nose assembly 10, whereby it must be depressed upwardly against the spring force until the nose assembly 10 rests against the workpiece.
  • the upward movement of the element 13 moves a trip rod mechanism 30, which allows the trigger mechanism to initiate the drive stroke.
  • the preferred embodiment of the element 13 is illustrated as a thin plate located adjacent to the front nose plate 15. The element 13 may be vertically moved as shown in FIG. 3, which in turn causes vertical movement of the trip rod mechanism 30.
  • the trip rod mechanism 30 normally must be positioned on the exterior of the housing 11, it is preferred to have the element 13 and trip rod mechanism 30 as two separate devices, which operate compatibly with each other when the front plate 15 is locked in its closed, operative position.
  • the trip rod mechanism 30 includes an arm 31 shown in FIG 4 as extending downwardly toward the nose assembly 10.
  • the arm 31 is formed to have a portion extend about the housing 11, and a tab 32 positioned as shown in FIG. 3 above the top of the workpiece contacting element 13.
  • the top of the element 13 has a surface 33 which is aligned with the tab 32 when the front plate 15 is in its closed operative position.
  • a compression spring 34 biases the trip rod mechanism 30 against the element 13 keeping the end 35 below the end portion of the nose assembly 10.
  • the trip rod mechanism 30 and the element 13 function as a unitary component when the front plate 15 is locked in the closed, operative position.
  • an object of the present invention is achieved by rotating the front plate 15 about the axis of shoulder screw 17 to its open position as shown in FIG. 5, whereby the operator is given ready access to the drive track 18.
  • the element 13 must also be moved to allow access to the drive track 18.
  • the preferred embodiment has the element 13 slidably attached to the front plate 15, so that when the front plate 15 is rotated to its open position to provide access to the jammed fastener, the element 13 is also moved clear at the same time.
  • the fastener 23 in this illustrative embodiment is a "T" head nail or brad for convenience, but could be a pin or staple.
  • a magazine rail 22 is attached to the back plate 14 by means of screws 21, and 20 (the screw 20 is shown in FIG. 5).
  • Fasteners 23 are positioned in a slot 36 within an opening through the rail 22 and are aligned with a window 28 in the back plate 14.
  • the front surface of the back plate 14 has an elongated cavity 37 centered about the window 28 through which the driver 12 may travel.
  • the drive track 18 is rectangular.
  • the window 28 in the back plate 14 does not extend the full length but only enough to allow passage of the longest fastener 23.
  • the fastener 23 is driven precisely where intended. Should the workpiece be hard to penetrate or the fastener 23 misaligned, there is little space for deflection. Thus, the fastener 23 usually becomes jammed in the lower portion of the drive track 18 beneath the window 28.
  • the forces created by a fastener jam are directed in all four directions. Since the drive track 18 is defined by the cavity 37 in the back plate 14 and the front plate 15, the forces are confined to these two components. Three sides of the drive track 18 are located within the back plate 14 and they can confine the forces created by the jam without deflection. The mechanism by which the front plate 15 is attached to the back plate 14 must keep the plates 14 and 15 securely locked during normal operation and also easily accessible for removal of jammed fasteners.
  • the back surface 38 of the front plate 15 that abuts the back plate 14 is flat and is attached to the back plate 14 at two points.
  • the first attachment is by means of a shoulder screw 17 positioned to one side of the drive track 18.
  • the length of a shoulder 39 is slightly more than the thickness of the front plate 15; thus when the shoulder screw 17 is affixed to the back plate 14, the front plate 15 may pivot about the axis of the shoulder 39.
  • a shoulder screw 17 is illustrated, it should be pointed out that those skilled in the art could achieve the same results by using a bushing and common screw, a stud or the like.
  • the present invention is not limited to a particular component used to create the pivotal support means.
  • a locking mechanism is located on the opposite side of the drive track 18 from that of the shoulder screw 17 as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5.
  • An illustrative locking mechanism comprises the lower magazine mounting screw 21 to also lock the front plate 15 in its closed, operative position.
  • the preferred embodiment as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8 uses the screw 21, which requires less than two revolutions to allow the front nose plate 15 to rotate to its open, inoperative position, wherein the drive track 18 is exposed.
  • the underside of screw 21 has a conical surface 40 as shown in FIG. 8.
  • the front plate 15 likewise has a mating countersunk surface 41, which provides a seat for the screw 21 when tightened.
  • a passageway 42 in the front plate 15 extends as shown in FIG. 5 from the outer edge to intersect with the countersunk surface 41.
  • the passage way is centered about an arc, whose radius is the distance between the shoulder screw 17 and the locking screw 21.
  • the locking screw 21 is loosened enough to allow the conical surface 40 to be clear of the front plate 15. Since the force resulting from the jammed fastener being directed against the flat surface 38 of the front plate 15 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 is perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the front plate 15, there is little resistance to prevent the front plate 15 from pivoting to a position to expose the jammed fastener for easy removal. After the jammed fastener is removed, the front plate 15 is pivoted back to its closed operative position and locked in place by screw 21.
  • the embodiment including the element 13 as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 7 also allows the easy clearing of a jammed fastener, since the element 13 is attached to the front plate 15 and does not obstruct the drive track 18 when the front plate 15 is in its open, inoperative position.
  • FIGS. 3, 5, 7 and 8 The front plate 15 has on its outside edges facing the back plate 14 a chamfer 43.
  • the element 13 is constructed to have portions 44 and 45 wrap around the outside edges and the chamfer 43 as shown in FIG. 8. This construction allows the element 13 to have vertical sliding movement only.
  • An opening 46 as shown in FIG. 5 in the element 13 provides clearance for the screw 21.
  • An edge 47 is shaped to be no larger than the lower portion of front plate 15, except that the end 35 extends below the front plate 15 in order that the end 35 contacts the workpiece and moves the element 13 upwardly prior to the nose assembly 10 contacting the workpiece.
  • the front plate 15 can be rotated back to its closed, operative position as shown in FIG. 3 and secured with screw 21.
  • the upper surface 33 of the element is again aligned with tab 32 of the trip rod mechanism 30.
  • the tool can now again be operated by depressing the end 35 of element 13 against the workpiece, which in turn moves the trip rod means 30, actuates the trigger mechanism, initiates the power drive stroke and drives a fastener into the workpiece.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Portable Nailing Machines And Staplers (AREA)
  • Paper Feeding For Electrophotography (AREA)
EP94110839A 1993-07-13 1994-07-12 Easy fastener jam removal tool Expired - Lifetime EP0634251B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US90254 1993-07-13
US08/090,254 US5350103A (en) 1993-07-13 1993-07-13 Easy fastener jam removal tool

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0634251A1 EP0634251A1 (en) 1995-01-18
EP0634251B1 true EP0634251B1 (en) 1998-11-25

Family

ID=22221984

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP94110839A Expired - Lifetime EP0634251B1 (en) 1993-07-13 1994-07-12 Easy fastener jam removal tool

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US5350103A (ja)
EP (1) EP0634251B1 (ja)
JP (1) JPH08243946A (ja)
AT (1) ATE173662T1 (ja)
CA (1) CA2127851A1 (ja)
DE (1) DE69414768T2 (ja)

Families Citing this family (18)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2842215B2 (ja) * 1993-09-22 1998-12-24 日立工機株式会社 打込機
JPH07246575A (ja) * 1994-03-11 1995-09-26 Makita Corp 釘打機
US5495975A (en) * 1994-12-12 1996-03-05 Acco Usa, Inc. Stapler with sheath control mechanism
US6032848A (en) * 1998-11-06 2000-03-07 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Fastener-driving tool having wear guard defining fastener-guiding surface
US6651862B2 (en) * 2001-04-30 2003-11-25 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Trim-type fastener driving tool
US6367676B1 (en) * 2001-06-28 2002-04-09 Samuel Opland Ejection force adjustable stapler
US6679414B2 (en) * 2002-06-13 2004-01-20 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Interchangeable magazine for a tool
US6726081B1 (en) * 2003-02-19 2004-04-27 Jui-Yuan Lin Stapling apparatus with a safety device for staplers to prevent staples from popping out of a stapler
US7641089B2 (en) * 2004-04-02 2010-01-05 Black & Decker Inc. Magazine assembly for nailer
JP4923440B2 (ja) * 2005-05-25 2012-04-25 マックス株式会社 打込み工具のコンタクトアーム機構
US7427008B2 (en) * 2006-10-25 2008-09-23 Black & Decker Inc. Depth adjusting device for a power tool
US7753243B2 (en) * 2006-10-25 2010-07-13 Black & Decker Inc. Lock-out mechanism for a power tool
US20090152322A1 (en) * 2007-12-17 2009-06-18 Sandy Lin Nail gun with lateral lifting type front lid
JP5233538B2 (ja) * 2008-09-12 2013-07-10 日立工機株式会社 釘打機
US7922054B2 (en) * 2008-09-23 2011-04-12 Robert Bosch Gmbh Nail gun with integrated safety device
US7913889B2 (en) * 2009-07-22 2011-03-29 Campbell Hausfeld/Scott Fetzer Company Automatic quick clear nose for nailer
EP3253534B1 (en) 2015-02-06 2020-05-06 Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation Gas spring-powered fastener driver
US20170050304A1 (en) * 2015-08-19 2017-02-23 Wen-Sheng Huang Barrel assembly of a nail gun

Citations (1)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3957192A (en) * 1973-11-02 1976-05-18 Joh. Friedrich Behrens Metallwaren-Fabrik Fastener-driving tool

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DE697127C (de) * 1936-12-28 1940-10-07 Vogel A G M Klammerheft-Geraet, -Maschine, -Zange, -Hammer o. dgl. mit unter Federspannung stehendem Schieber fuer die Klammerreihe
DE681695C (de) * 1936-12-28 1939-09-30 Vogel Akt Ges M Klammerheftgeraet mit freilegbarer Vorderplatte und unter Federspannung stehender Vorschubeinrichtung fuer die Heftklammern
CH300042A (de) * 1952-04-17 1954-07-15 Mayr Max Hefthammer.
DE1302136B (ja) * 1964-03-11 1970-01-22
US3853257A (en) * 1973-06-18 1974-12-10 Spotnails Self-clearing nose section for a powered fastener-driving tool
JPS6061179U (ja) * 1983-10-01 1985-04-27 日立工機株式会社 打込機の安全装置
US4801062A (en) * 1987-06-18 1989-01-31 Duo-Fast Corporation Side load magazine for a fastener driving tool
US5054678A (en) * 1989-07-17 1991-10-08 Duo-Fast Corporation Furniture clip/tool
US5174485A (en) * 1989-12-19 1992-12-29 Duo-Fast Corporation Fastener driving tool
US5181450A (en) * 1991-05-16 1993-01-26 Umberto Monacelli Pneumatic fastener driving apparatus with piston holding detent

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3957192A (en) * 1973-11-02 1976-05-18 Joh. Friedrich Behrens Metallwaren-Fabrik Fastener-driving tool

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ATE173662T1 (de) 1998-12-15
JPH08243946A (ja) 1996-09-24
DE69414768D1 (de) 1999-01-07
EP0634251A1 (en) 1995-01-18
CA2127851A1 (en) 1995-01-14
DE69414768T2 (de) 1999-04-15
US5350103A (en) 1994-09-27

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